The New Model Army in the West, 1645 » Military » The English Civil War » The West Country » The New Model Army in the West The New Model Army in the West, 1645 Following the disastrous Royalist defeat at the battle of Naseby in June 1645, King Charles and Prince Rupert rallied fugitives from the battle at Leicester and withdrew to the Welsh border. The only Royalist force still capable of challenging the New Model Army was the Western army under Lord Goring , who had ignored orders to rejoin the King before Naseby. Goring's forces were active around Taunton; he remained reluctant to co-operate with Prince Rupert. Rather than march in pursuit of the King after Naseby, Sir Thomas Fairfax blockaded Leicester, which surrendered on 18 June. There was popular clamour in London for the relief of Taunton, resolutely defended by Colonel Blake , so after the surrender of Leicester, Fairfax marched swiftly into the south-west, taking a southerly route to avoid Royalist garrisons at Bristol, Bath, Devizes and Bridgwater. Fairfax was reinforced en route by General Massie with elements of Parliament's Western Association army.

Early in July 1645, Fairfax arrived at Blandford in Dorset. Advancing rapidly to Beaminster on 4 July, he received the unexpected news that Goring had abandoned the siege of Taunton and was marching towards Yeovil. The Battle of Langport, Somerset, 10 July 1645 To avoid becoming cut off from the Royalist strongholds of Bristol and Bridgwater, Lord Goring marched his forces across the front of the advancing New Model Army and deployed them to occupy the line of the River Yeo along a 12-mile front from Yeovil to Langport. On 5 July 1645, General Fairfax concentrated his infantry at Crewkerne and rode forward with his cavalry to reconnoitre the Royalist position. After resting to observe the Sabbath, Fairfax ordered an advance on Yeovil on 7 July. The Royalist detachment guarding the town withdrew without a shot being fired, possibly because Goring had already decided to concentrate his forces at Langport in preparation for a withdrawal to Bridgwater.

The New Model Army in the West, 1645 As a diversionary move, Goring sent Lieutenant-General George Porter towards Taunton with three cavalry brigades. Fairfax drew off 4,000 troops, including Massie's cavalry, to cover the Royalists and defend Taunton from possible attack. Fairfax's force was weakened as Goring intended, but the plan miscarried because Porter failed to post sentries; on 8 July, General Massie took the Royalist detachment by surprise while they were relaxing on Isle Moor a few miles west of Langport. The Royalists were quickly routed and 500 taken prisoner. By 10 July, Goring had taken up a strong position with his main force north-east of Langport to cover the withdrawal of his artillery and baggage to Bridgwater. The Royalists occupied the steep western bank overlooking a ford across Wagg Rhyne, a stream running south through its own valley into the Yeo. Fairfax approached from the east and drew up on the opposite bank of the Wagg. A hedge-lined lane ran down from Goring's position to the ford and back up again to Fairfax's position.

Goring stationed his cavalry and placed his two remaining cannon at the top of the lane. With musketeers lining the hedges Goring thought his position was unassailable — but the New Model Army was inspired with crusading zeal and resolution. Realising that an attempt to outflank Goring would give the Royalists time to escape to Bridgwater, Fairfax decided on a direct frontal assault. Parliamentarian artillery was deployed to launch an overwhelming bombardment that quickly silenced the Royalist guns covering the ford. Picked bands of musketeers led by Colonel Rainsborough fought their way along the hedges to dislodge the Royalists. Major Bethel led a valiant charge across the ford and up the opposite slope to strike deep into the heart of the Royalist position, resisting a countercharge by Goring's cavaliers. Major Disbrowe supported Bethel with the cavalry reserve and the New Model infantry came up to join them. Major Harrison broke into a rapturous psalm of praise as the Royalist position collapsed. In a last desperate attempt to stem Fairfax's advance, Goring set fire to Langport. Cromwell led his Ironsides though the blazing village to ride down the fleeing Royalists.

Lord Goring, his army shattered, fled westwards into Devon. Many fugitives from the battle were hunted down and killed by Somerset Clubmen in revenge for the depredations inflicted during the Royalist occupation. Bridgwater and Sherborne, July-August 1645 After Goring's defeat at Langport, the next major objective for the New Model Army was to recapture the port of Bristol, held by the Royalists since July 1643. Before advancing on Bristol, however, General Fairfax set about reducing Royalist strongholds in Somerset and Dorset. He was also obliged to deal with local Clubmen , who were growing increasingly militant in their protests against the war. At a meeting with leaders of the Somerset Clubmen at Middlezoy on 11 July 1645, Fairfax gave an undertaking that the New Model Army would pay for all supplies and would not harass the local population, on condition that they did not assist the Royalists. On 13 July 1645, the New Model Army besieged Bridgwater which was defended by Sir Hugh Wyndham.

The eastern part of the town was stormed on 20 July; Wyndham retreated across the River Parrett and held out for another three days on the western side, finally surrendering on 23 July after enduring a heavy bombardment. The capture of Bridgwater effectively cut off communication between Bristol and the western Royalists. A detachment led by Colonel Okey captured Bath in a surprise dawn attack on 31 July. Fairfax consolidated his control of the region by next marching on Sherborne Castle, where a large Royalist garrison was commanded by Sir Lewis Dyve. The siege of Sherborne began early in August 1645. Dyve surrendered on 17 August after the castle walls were shattered by heavy bombardment and mining. The Clubmen of Dorset proved less conciliatory than their counterparts in Somerset. During the siege of Sherborne, Fairfax ordered the arrest of Clubman leaders meeting at Shaftesbury. On 4 August, Cromwell led a cavalry detachment to Hambledon Hill where several thousand Clubmen had gathered.

The soldiers killed a few and scattered the rest; 500 were rounded up and held overnight in a local church before being lectured by Cromwell then sent back to their farms and villages. The Fall of Bristol, 21 August - 11 September 1645 On 18 August 1645, the day after the surrender of Sherborne Castle, Sir Thomas Fairfax marched for Bristol, arriving before the city three days later. Prince Rupert , who had conducted the first siege and captured the city in July 1643, now returned to defend it. Rupert faced similar difficulties to those encountered by Colonel Fiennes in 1643, having insufficient troops to defend Bristol's five miles of walls and fortifications. The Royalist garrison was strong in cavalry and artillery but the infantrymen were mostly raw Welsh recruits. Plague had broken out in the city and most of the leading citizens had fled. There was little enthusiasm for a siege amongst the civilians who remained; a plot to surrender the city by treachery was discovered. Nevertheless, Rupert believed that he had enough stores, guns and ammunition to withstand a long siege and wrote to the King assuring him that he could hold Bristol for several months.

With artillery carefully placed to defend the walls, Rupert's cavalry raided and harassed the Parliamentarians as they set up the siege. Colonel Okey was taken prisoner during one raid; Sir Richard Crane, the veteran commander of Rupert's Lifeguard, was killed during another. The Parliamentarians proceeded to encircle the city while a naval squadron in the Bristol Channel blockaded the Royalists by sea. However, Fairfax was not confident that his army was strong enough to conduct a full siege of a major fortress; he was also concerned that Lord Goring or the King might send a relief force. On 4 September, Fairfax called upon Prince Rupert to surrender the city for the good of the whole kingdom. Rupert entered into protracted negotiations, playing for time and hoping to hear from the King. On 9 September, Fairfax broke off negotiations and prepared a general assault. In the early hours of 10 September, Parliamentarian siege guns opened fire on the defences at five different points, while infantry prepared to storm the breaches. The well-placed Royalist guns made the assault dangerous and bloody, but the New Model Army was inspired with the same zeal and resolution that had carried the day at Langport.

Within an hour, the outer walls were breached and the infantry attacked, breaking through the defences at several points. After a further two hours ferocious fighting, Prior's Hill Fort was taken by Colonel Rainsborough and its defenders massacred. Rupert abandoned the outer walls and fell back towards the strongpoint of Bristol Castle, but as the Royalists withdrew, Cromwell's cavalry charged in. Rupert realised that his position was hopeless. His forces were divided, with some of his best troops isolated at various points along the walls. The well in the castle had been damaged so he had no water supply. Hoping to save at least a part of his army, Rupert called for a treaty. Fairfax granted honourable terms. All the Royalist troops were allowed to march out of Bristol with colours flying. Their artillery, stores and ammunition were left behind. The surrender of Bristol enraged King Charles. Encouraged by Lord Digby into believing that Rupert had betrayed him, Charles abruptly dismissed Rupert and his officers from his service.

The Naseby Battlefield Project » The Battle The Naseby Battlefield Project Contact Us The Battle of Naseby The Battle of Naseby on 14 June 1645 is the last and most important battle of the First Civil War (1642-45), a decisive victory of the Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell over the Royalists under King Charles I and his nephew Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Causes of the Civil War Timeline Charles I’s Personal Rule without Parliament 1630s William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, introduces High Church Anglicanism. Protests by Puritans 1636 Protests against imposition of Ship Money Tax. Oliver Cromwell elected to Parliament 1637-39 Two Bishops Wars – Charles I defeated by Scottish Presbyterians 1640 Charles I summons Long Parliament (1640-59) 1641 Impeachment of Earl of Strafford. Rebellion in Ireland April 1642 Charles I’s attempt to arrest his 5 leading opponents in Parliament but fails.

Charles I leaves London King_Charles_I During the 1620s there are frequent clashes between James I (reigned 1603-25) and his son Charles I (1625-49), and Parliament. Between 1629 and 1640 Charles I, determined to impose his doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, rules without Parliament. William Laud, his Archbishop of Canterbury, attempts to impose High Church Anglicanism despite the protests of the Puritans. In Scotland, similar protests by the Presbyterians provoke open rebellion and the king is defeated by the Scots in Two Bishops’ Wars in 1637-39. In 1640 the king recalls Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, from Ireland and summons Parliament. Under the leadership of John Pym, the Parliamentarians immediately attack Strafford, who is impeached for plotting to bring an Irish army over to England. He is tried, found guilty and executed in November 1641.

In April 1642, after failing to arrest his five leading opponents in Parliament, the King leaves London (he will only return for his trial in the winter of 1648). He establishes his head-quarters at Oxford, while the Parliamentarians remain in control of London. The Civil War Battle of Edgehill – a draw 1643 Royalist successes particularly in the south-west Battle of Roundaway Down – Royalist victory First Battle of Newbury – Parliamentarian victory 1643-44 winter Parliament makes an alliance with the Presbyterian Scots 1644 Battles of Cropredy Bridge and Lostwithiel - Royalist Victories Battle of Marston Moor - Parliamentarian victory Second Battle of Newbury – a draw but Royalist army escapes 1644-45 Oliver_Cromwell The first major engagement of the Civil War takes place at Edgehill in October 1642. The battle ends in a draw but the Royalists fail to advance on London. In 1643 the Royalists attempt a three-pronged advance on London from the north, from Wales and the south-west. Despite winning a number of battles and capturing Bristol they fail to make a decisive breakthrough.

Following secret negotiations between Parliament and the Scots, a Scottish army invades Northern England in January 1644. On 2 July, at Battle of Marston Moor outside York Prince Rupert is defeated by combined Anglo-Scottish army – Oliver Cromwell plays a vital role in winning the battle – Royalists lose control of the North of England. During the winter Parliament creates the New Model Army, a body of full-time professional soldiers led by professional officers (MPs and peers were forbidden to serve) with Sir Thomas Fairfax as commander-in-chief.

Streeter Map of Battle of Naseby Streeters Map of The Battle of Naseby The Naseby Campaign, April to June 1645 Timeline Fairfax sets off to relieve siege of Taunton Islip Bridge - Cromwell defeats Earl of Northampton 7 May Charles I leaves Oxford – joins forces with Prince Rupert, Maurice, Langdale & Sir Jacob Astley Goring sent to relieve Taunton Fairfax abandons march on Taunton with majority of New Model Army 22 May Fairfax & Cromwell begin siege of Oxford 29 May Prince Rupert begins siege of Leicester to draw Fairfax away from Oxford 30 May Charles I & Royalist army march towards Market Harborough Fairfax raises siege of Oxford & marches north to join Cromwell, now appointed Lieutenant-General of Horse 13 June Royalist army at Market Harborough Parliamentarian army at GuilsboroughApril Evening of 13 June Parliamentarian patrol led by Ireton clashes with a small detachment of Charles's Life Guard at Naseby – Royalists captured playing quoits in the church. Royalists divided - Prince Rupert and Astley advocate continuing north, but outvoted – decision to turn and fight.

14 June 3 am Parliamentarian army roused & begins to move towards Market Harborough – decision to assemble at Naseby windmill on high ground outside the village. (Obelisk Viewpoint) Royalist army begins to assemble four miles away on a ridge south of East Farndon (Prince Rupert’s Viewpoint) Neither side can see the other. 14 June 8 am Royalists fear their intelligence is wrong and send scoutmaster Francis Ruce to discover whereabouts of the New Model Army – he fails to spot them. Fairfax and Cromwell decide to move from ridge across Mill Hill, to Closter and Sheddon Hills overlooking a flat bottomed valley called Broadmoor. Rupert, decides to look for himself & sees New Model Army moving towards Mill Hill - calls for the king to move Royalist army. Royalists march south before turning west across Moot Hill, east of Sibbertoft (Moot Hill Viewpoint) before turning south again and onto a ridge on the other side of Broadmoor called Dust Hill. Artillery & baggage trains march through the village of Clipston before turning right along the narrow lane towards Sibbertoft.

The two sides form up on the ridges on either side of Broadmoor, flanked by Sulby parish boundary hedge to the west, and scrub, furze and bog of the Clipston parish boundary to the east. Both sides placed their infantry in the centre with the horse on each wing. Right Wing: Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice - 1,700 horse and 200 musketeers Centre: Sir Jacob Astley – 3,500 foot and 800 horse Left Wing: Sir Marmaduke Langdale - 1,700 horse and 200 musketeers Reserve: King Charles I – 1,300 horse and 800 foot The Royal army was drawn up in three lines with musketeers interspersed with the horse on each of the wings. Royalists King Charles I Commanded the Royalist's forces despite his inexperience. His most notable success had been the defeat of the Earl of Essex's army at Lostwithiel in the autumn of 1644. Sir Jacob Astley Commanded the infantry at Naseby.

After the battle he continued to fight on, surrendering the last Royalist field army at Stow-on-the-Wold in 1646. Sir Marmaduke Langdale A Catholic Yorkshireman, he was another outstanding cavalry commander who had fought in all the major engagements in the North of England. Prince Rupert of the Rhine A cavalry commander of flair and courage, who had served in the Thirty Years’ War. Despite initial success, Rupert was defeated at Marston Moor. With his brother Prince Maurice he was regarded as a great but impetuous cavalry commander. New Model Army Commander: General Sir Thomas Fairfax Right Wing: Lt. General Oliver Cromwell – 3,900 cavalry Centre: Major General Phillip Skippon – 6,400 foot and 11 cannon Left Wing: Commissary-General Henry Ireton – 3,300 cavalry Dragoons: - Colonel John Okey - 1,000 The Parliamentarian army was drawn up in two lines with a forlorn hope of 300 musketeers in front and to the left hand side of the infantry. Parliamentarians Sir Thomas Fairfax Fought for the Parliamentarian Northern Army up to Marston Moor.

On the creation of the New Model Army in 1645, Sir Thomas was appointed Captain General. The first major engagement of this highly disciplined force was the Battle of Naseby. Oliver Cromwell A brilliant cavalry commander with the Eastern Association, notably at Marston Moor. Appointed Lieutenant-General in the New Model Army at Fairfax's request, although he should have been debarred as an MP. Commanded the cavalry at Naseby. Henry Ireton Served under Cromwell earlier in the war and was appointed his second in command at Naseby, commanding the left wing. Later married Cromwell’s daughter. Philip Skippon Commanded the London Trained Bands and defied the Royalists at Turnham Green in November 1642. Commanded the infantry at Naseby The Battle Fairfax_Viewpoint Cromwell sends Colonel John Okey and his dragoons to Sulby Hedge to harass the Royalist right flank (see map – Sulby Hedge Viewpoint). Their fire power may have forced Rupert to advance prematurely. Rupert’s horse advance at a slow trot, pausing in the bottom of the valley. Ireton's cavalry advance to meet them.

The two sides meet and three of Ireton's regiments break and are put to flight, with Rupert’s men in pursuit. The Royalist infantry advance across the valley floor and up the slope towards the New Model Army, (see map – Cromwell Monument Viewpoint) standing just beyond the crest of the ridge. The weight of the Royalist assault falls on the left hand regiments of the New Model Army, their line pivots and starts to fall back. Those of Ireton’s horse who have survived Rupert’s charge attack the Royalist flank. Ireton is wounded in the thigh by a pike and in the face by a halberd. For a while, the Royalists seem to be winning, but the Parliamentarian second line fill the gaps and strengthen the weaker regiments. Those that have retreated rally and rejoin the battle. Soon their greater numbers begin to tell and the Royalist infantry begin to fall back. On the eastern flank Sir Marmaduke Langdale's cavalry, hemmed in between the rabbit warren and furze-covered bog to the east and Fairfax’s infantry to the west, charge uphill but do not break Cromwell's men who take heavy casualties but thrust them back.

Having defeated Langdale, the majority of Cromwell’s men turn left to assault the flank of the Royalist infantry. At around the same time, Okey’s dragoons leave the safety of the hedge and hit the Royalists in the opposite flank. The Royalists are now being assaulted on three sides. Soon they began to retreat. Many give up and surrender but Rupert's own infantry regiment, the Bluecoats, stand firm. They are finally defeated by Fairfax and his regimental commander D'Oyley. Naseby | Britain's Greatest Battles | Online Exhibitions | National Army Museum, London Legacy The Context King Charles and successive parliaments hotly debated the prerogatives and limits of royal authority through the 1630s. In 1642 the King botched the arrest of his leading opponents, left London and declared war against the ‘rebels’. In the years that followed, armies raised by and loyal to the King and to Parliament fought in pitched battles and sieges for control of key cities and strongholds all over Britain. By 1645 King Charles’s headquarters were at Oxford. The support he commanded was based largely in the West Midlands, Wales and the South-West.

Parliament retained control of London, the South-East and the North. Neither side had very clearly defined military objectives. Parliament needed to defeat the King, but wanted time to recruit and develop its New Model Army. The King and his Council were undecided whether to try to regain the northern counties, or to consolidate strength in the South-West. For several months there was little activity, but on 7 May King Charles left Oxford. Part of his force headed for the South-West; the King himself moved north. But when Parliament’s troops converged on Oxford, the King’s army slowly turned and marched south to relieve the city. The New Model Army moved to cut it off. The Armies The Royalist army, led by King Charles (1600-49), was recruited and commanded along what, at the time, were conventional lines. Royalist commanders were chosen and promoted for their aristocratic pedigree rather than their experience or their ability. Royalist troops were paid, equipped, trained and deployed in much the same way as their Parliamentarian counterparts; but Parliament’s control of the main Channel ports and major armouries like the Tower of London meant the Royalists operated under greater logistical constraint.

The Royalist army at Naseby consisted of around 10,000 men. The foot soldiers were armed with muskets or pikes. Charles’s 4,000 cavalry were led by his nephew Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619-82). Rupert’s drive, determination and experience of European military techniques had brought him several victories prior to Naseby, but his advice against accepting battle there was ignored by his uncle. Parliament’s New Model Army broke precedent. Its commanders were excluded from political authority and promoted on the basis of ability, not blood. As Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who commanded the New Model Army’s cavalry at the battle, observed, ‘I had rather have a plain, russet-coated Captain, that knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that which you call a Gentle-man and is nothing else’. General Sir Thomas Fairfax, in overall command at Naseby, led about 12,000 men, of whom 6,000 were mounted. The Battle While both armies were apparently sizeable, they were surprisingly difficult for their enemies to locate.

In the week before the battle, though no more than 30 miles (48km) apart, neither the King nor Fairfax could be sure exactly where the other was, or where he was heading. Both forces covered a lot of ground as they marched back and forth. The two armies finally met on 14 June just north of Naseby in Northamptonshire. The armies drew up on opposite sides of a shallow valley, at the base of which ran a stream bordered by marshy ground. Both Royalist and Parliamentarian lines arranged their foot regiments in the centre, and cavalry on the wings. The battlefield, about a mile (1.6km) across, was bordered and confined on either side by thick hedgerows marking parish boundaries. Cromwell ordered dragoons (mounted troops with muskets) to harass the right wing of the Royalist cavalry, commanded by the King’s nephew Prince Rupert, from the cover of the hedgerow on that side. Unwilling to take fire and eager to open the battle, Prince Rupert led his cavalry forward, eventually charging through the New Model Army’s left wing and on to the artillery and baggage trains in the rear.

Meanwhile, Royalist and New Model Army foot regiments closed and struggled in the centre. Initially, the Royalists appeared to be getting the upper hand. Cromwell, on Parliament’s right wing, sent the first line of his cavalry to rout the Royalist left wing, and the second line to attack the Royalist foot regiments in the centre of the battlefield in flank. Out-manoeuvred, the Royalists began a fighting, but precipitate, retreat north. In the battle and subsequent retreat about 1,000 Royalists were killed and as many as 5,000 taken prisoner, along with ‘the whole Booty of the field’. This included the Royalist ‘Train of Artillery… all their Ordnance… eight thousand Arms and more, forty Barrels of powder, two hundred horse… the Kings Cabinet… many Coaches’. The Impact Although King Charles and many of his commanders, including Prince Rupert, escaped, the Royalists were unable to replace the men and resources lost at Naseby. The war continued, but there was little hope. Within a year the King was effectively on the run, and gave himself up. Oxford surrendered.

Politically, too, the loss of ‘the Kings Cabinet’ into enemy hands caused irretrievable damage. The King’s Cabinet was effectively his office and contained all his correspondence. Letters from his Queen demonstrated that she, on his behalf but with his connivance, had been trying to enlist support from Catholic powers in Europe. If any of the King’s Protestant subjects had previously been unsure of the King’s attitude to England’s religion and independence, the evidence now seemed clear. The King in captivity managed to strike a deal with the Scots, which prompted a second civil war, but Parliament and the New Model Army were again victorious. The King himself, in one of the most dramatic and unprecedented events of British history, was tried by Parliament for treason. Found guilty, he was executed in 1649. Naseby was a victory secured by Parliament’s radically different New Model Army, a national fighting force not tied to a region or locality, and the immediate predecessor of the British Army of today. Until 1660, the New Model Army was the most important force in the country, and it dominated English politics, upholding the constitutional experiments of the 1650s.

The Legacy Naseby won the First English Civil War (1642-46) for Parliament and ensured that, whatever happened subsequently, the monarch would never again be supreme in British politics. Although the monarchy would be restored in 1660, the later Stuart and Hanoverian kings would have a very different, conditional relationship with their parliaments than some of their continental cousins. The possibility of absolute monarchy died with Charles I. Arguably that conditional relationship has ensured the long-term survival of the monarchy in Britain today. The battle has featured in several novels, including Rosemary Sutcliff’s ‘Simon’ (1953) and Ann Turnbull’s ‘Alice in Love and War’ (2009). The most famous film depiction of the battle is Ken Hughes’s ‘Cromwell’ (1970), which featured Richard Harris in the title role, Alec Guinness as King Charles, Douglas Wilmer as Fairfax and Timothy Dalton as Prince Rupert. The battlefield of Naseby is fairly well preserved and two monuments (raised in 1823 and 1936) and several information plaques mark the site.

However, in recent years, organisations like the Battlefields Trust, Battle of Naseby 1645 Project, the Sealed Knot and Royal Armouries have been working together to improve access and develop visitor facilities. These will include walks and displays about the battle so that people can learn more about an event that shaped our history. The Battle of Naseby - History Learning Site Home » Stuart England » The Battle of Naseby The Battle of Naseby Citation: C N Trueman "The Battle of Naseby" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 17 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. The Battle of Naseby was probably the pivotal moment during the English Civil War. The Battle of Naseby was fought on June 14th 1645 and prior to the battle there was no obvious indication that either Parliament, with Oliver Cromwell highly influential, nor the Royalists had any obvious military advantage over the other. However, the overwhelming defeat of the Royalists at the Battle of Naseby ended this and almost certainly doomed Charles I to defeat.

After the Second Battle at Newbury, Parliament became convinced about the usefulness of a national army bound by loyalty not to a regional commander but to a national one. This was a major break with the accepted norm of the time whereby a person’s loyalty to the region where he lived was accepted as sufficient for that person to want to fight to protect it from an invading force. Parliament decided that a more modern approach was needed and that a new model of an army had to be created. This was to lead to the New Model Army, which Martyn Bennett refers to as “the beginning of the modern professional British Army” in ‘Battlefields of the English Civil War’. On paper, this new model consisted of 12,000 men on foot and 6,000 men on horse both divided into twelve regiments. While the number of cavalrymen was achieved with a degree of ease, this was not so for the infantry. Desertion was an issue and when the New Model Army first took to the battlefield, a large number of its infantrymen – about 5,000 – were conscripts.

The New Model Army’s first commander was Sir Thomas Fairfax – not Oliver Cromwell as the Self-Denying Ordnance debarred him from military service. However, a ‘special temporary commission’ did allow Cromwell to be Lieutenant-General of Horse. In May 1645, Charles had marched a large Royalist force north to attack a Parliamentarian force that was besieging Chester. News of the Royalists march north, led to a retreat by the Parliamentarian force commanded by Sir William Brereton. This took away from Charles an opportunity to demonstrate to Parliament the military superiority of the Royalist army. However, Charles was very keen to do this and he therefore decided to turn south and besiege the Parliamentarian town of Leicester. An attack on Leicester was, in fact, easy from the Royalist’s point of view. While it may have sent out a supposedly clear message to Fairfax, based in Oxford, about the strength and professionalism of the Royalists, it was a message that was clouded. The Royalists attacked Leicester with 12,000 men while there were only 2,000 defenders.

The town’s defences lasted just three hours when the attack came on May 30th 1645. Boosted by this victory, Charles now targeted Oxford – his old capital now being besieged by Fairfax. Given the choice of continuing to besiege Oxford or taking on the advancing Royalists, Fairfax chose the latter. On June 3rd, Fairfax moved his men away from Oxford to confront the king. Charles had faced dissent among the senior commanders in the Royalist force – including the capable Prince Rupert. Many Royalists felt that their cause would be better served if they moved north, defeated the Scots and then moved back south to tackle Fairfax. However, to Charles Oxford had a certain symbolism and he overruled any dissention. It is highly likely that he had got an exaggerated view of his army’s strength after the ease of his victory at Leicester. As he marched from Leicester he halted in Daventry. Fairfax was an astute military man and he knew that the New Model Army was not yet as effective as he wanted it to be. On June 8th he arrived at Newport Pagnell acutely aware that he needed support to enhance the strength of the men he commanded.

Cromwell for example, was still in East Anglia. He – along with Charles – waited for support to arrive. However, Fairfax’s support was nearer and Cromwell and his men joined him on June 13th whereas the Royalist support had to come from Wales and Somerset. Neither arrived by the time Naseby was fought; in fact, the support from Taunton, Somerset, never arrived. Realising the weakness of their position, Charles decided to move north of Daventry. However, horse-mounted Parliamentary scouts tracked their every move. On the night of June 13th, Charles decided that any continuing move north would play into the hands of Parliament who could pick-off his rear markers with ease. Prince Rupert had no desire to attack the New Model Army but a Royal Council of War overruled him. With an inflated opinion as to the military prowess of the Royalist Army, Charles decided that an attack was his best move. The battle was fought on June 14th. Before the battle started, the New Model Army set itself up on a ridge overlooking Naseby.

However, Cromwell ordered the army off of this ridge as he decided that it was too good a position and not even an incompetent military commander like Charles would attack such a position. He moved the army back to Naseby village – some 1.5 miles away. Charles had a force of between 8,000 and 9,000 men. Fairfax commanded 13,000 men. The two armies faced one another barely ½ a mile apart. Cromwell’s horsemen were on the fight flank of Parliament’s force and he could call on 3,500 men. Opposing him were the 2,000 horsemen of Marmaduke Langdale. On the left flank for Parliament were the horsemen of Henry Ireton and opposing him were the horse of Princes Rupert and Maurice. Between both sets of horsemen on both sides were the infantry. The battle started at 10.00 when Rupert attacked the force of Henry Ireton. His men crashed through Ireton’s force with some ease but rather than attack Parliament’s infantry formations that were easily open to a cavalry flank attack, Rupert decided to move on to Naseby and attack a baggage wagon there.

While this mistake would not have led to any difference in the final outcome, it could have made the battle a lot more difficult for Fairfax. On the right flank, Langdale attacked Cromwell at the same time as Rupert attacked Ireton. However, in this case, Cromwell easily defeated Langdale’s men thus exposing the King’s infantry to attack. Cromwell duly attacked but kept men in reserve as an insurance. It was this attack on the right flank of the Royalists infantry that doomed Charles to defeat. Without any form of firm leadership, the Royalist infantry, commanded by Lord Astley, broke up. It did succeed in pushing back Parliament’s first line of infantry led by Sir Philip Skippton, but whether this was a pre-planned move by Skippton to further suck Royalist infantry into a Parliamentarian pincer movement is open to discussion. Whether it was or was not, the Royalist force was open to cavalry attack on both flanks while having to fight Parliament’s infantry force in front of it. Surrender was the only real option. Historians see the overwhelming success of the New Model Army at Naseby as the time when Charles lost the English Civil War. It was a defeat that he never recovered from.

Ironically the battle started with the success of Prince Rupert but this could not be followed up. Rupert had perfected the tactic of a very speedy cavalry attack and even at Naseby this worked. If Langdale had been equally successful on the other flank the battle could have turned in favour of the Royalists. However, it was not to be. The Royalist force lost over 1,000 men while the New Model Army lost about 200. Battle of Naseby Battle of Naseby Battle of Naseby Battle of Naseby In February 1645, Parliament decided to form a new army of professional soldiers and amalgamated the three armies of William Waller , Earl of Essex and Earl of Manchester . This army of 22,000 men became known as the New Model Army . Its commander-in-chief was General Thomas Fairfax , while Oliver Cromwell was put in charge of its cavalry. Members of the New Model Army received proper military training and by the time they went into battle they were very well-disciplined. In the past, people became officers because they came from powerful and wealthy families. In the New Model Army men were promoted when they showed themselves to be good soldiers.

For the first time it became possible for working-class men to become army officers. Oliver Cromwell thought it was very important that soldiers in the New Model Army believed strongly in what they were fighting for. Where possible he recruited men who, like him, held strong Puritan views and the New Model Army went into battle singing psalms, convinced that God was on their side. The New Model Army took part in its first major battle just outside the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire on 14th June 1645. The battle began when Prince Rupert led a charge against the left wing of the parliamentary cavalry which scattered and Rupert's men then gave chase. While this was going on Oliver Cromwell launched an attack on the left wing of the royalist cavalry. This was also successful and the royalists that survived the initial charge fled from the battlefield. While some of Cromwell's cavalry gave chase, the majority were ordered to attack the now unprotected flanks of the infantry. Charles I was waiting with 1,200 men in reserve. Instead of ordering them forward to help his infantry he decided to retreat. Without support from the cavalry, the royalist infantry realised their task was impossible and surrendered.

By the time Prince Rupert's cavalry returned to the battlefield the fighting had ended. Rupert's cavalry horses were exhausted after their long chase and were not in a fit state to take on Cromwell's cavalry. Prince Rupert had no option but to ride off in search of Charles I . The battle was a disaster for the king. About 1,000 of his men had been killed, while another 4,500 of his most experienced men had been taken prisoner. The Parliamentary forces were also able to capture the Royalist baggage train that contained his complete stock of guns and ammunition. The Battle of Naseby was the turning point in the war. After Naseby, Charles was never able to raise another army strong enough to defeat the parliamentary army in a major battle. The Naseby Campaign, 1645 » Military » The English Civil War » The Midlands & East » The Naseby Campaign The Naseby Campaign, 1645 In the spring of 1645, the Committee for Both Kingdoms ordered Sir Thomas Fairfax , Captain-General of the recently-formed New Model Army , to march to relieve the siege of Taunton.

Fairfax marched from WIndsor on 30 April 1645 to rendezvous at Newbury with Lieutenant-General Cromwell , who was active with a cavalry brigade around Oxford, raiding Royalist garrisons and rounding up all the draught animals he could find in order to immobilise the King's artillery train. From Newbury, Fairfax advanced towards Blandford, where he arrived on 7 May, while Cromwell remained in the vicinity of Oxford. The Naseby Campaign, 1645 On the day that Fairfax arrived at Blandford, the King's army marched from Oxford to rendezvous with Prince Rupert and Lord Goring at Stow-on-the-Wold, where a council of war was held on 8 May. The Royalist high command was divided over strategy.

King Charles wanted to march the main Royalist army into Scotland to join forces with the Marquis of Montrose ; Prince Rupert and Sir Marmaduke Langdale were eager to relieve the siege of Chester and to strike against Lord Leven's Covenanters in the hope of regaining Yorkshire and the north of England; Lord Goring and Lord Digby wanted to concentrate Royalist forces in the west to challenge Fairfax and the New Model Army before it had time to establish itself. King Charles finally decided on a compromise that divided his forces. Lord Goring rode with three thousand cavalry to the west, while the King and Prince Rupert marched north with the main body of the Royalist army. Even without the additional threat of Goring's cavalry, the condition of Colonel Robert Blake 's garrison at Taunton was desperate. By 9 May, the besieging Royalists had captured the town and forced the garrison to retreat into the castle. However, the Committee for Both Kingdoms abruptly ordered Fairfax to abandon the march into the west. A detachment was to be sent to Taunton while the main body of the New Model Army was ordered to turn north and attack the Royalist capital Oxford.

Fairfax continued his march as far as Dorchester before sending Colonel Ralph Welden with four regiments of foot and one of horse on to Taunton. Convinced by Fairfax's feint that the whole New Model Army was on its way, Sir Richard Grenville ordered the Royalists to withdraw on 11 May and Welden's detachment occupied the town. Despite the reinforcement of the garrison, however, Lord Goring's return to the region meant that Taunton remained under threat. Meanwhile, the King's army continued to march northwards, shadowed by Cromwell's cavalry brigade and some infantry from Abingdon under the command of Major-General Richard Browne . Threatened by the King's advance, Sir William Brereton abandoned the siege of Chester on 18 May. Two days later, Lord Byron met the King at Market Drayton in Shropshire with news of the abandonment of the siege. The Royalist army turned eastwards towards Newark, with the probable intention of marching from there into Yorkshire. In London, this move was interpreted as an advance towards the Eastern Association counties and Cromwell was ordered to East Anglia to organise its defences against a possible Royalist invasion.

Further south, Fairfax and the main body of the New Model Army arrived before Oxford on 22 May. With the Royalist capital under siege, the King's march to the north was abandoned. Lord Goring was ordered to bring reinforcements to the main Royalist army, while the Committee for Both Kingdoms ordered Colonel Massie at Gloucester to keep Goring occupied in the west. Massie stormed and captured Evesham on 26 May to disrupt supply lines and communications between Oxford and Worcester; Goring apparently made no attempt to rejoin the King's army. Anxious that Oxford should not fall, the King and Prince Rupert decided to attack the Parliamentarian stronghold of Leicester, in the hope of luring the New Model Army away from Oxford. The Storming of Leicester, 31 May 1645 Leicester had been the headquarters of Lord Grey of Groby since the beginning of the war. However, Grey left the region late in 1644 after a quarrel with Sir Arthur Hesilrige. There was no response when the town committee petitioned Parliament for Grey to return as governor but Sir Robert Pye arrived with cavalry to reinforce the Leicester garrison immediately before the Royalist attack.

Sir Marmaduke Langdale 's Northern Horse surrounded Leicester on 29 May, cutting off all approaches to the town. A Royalist battery was set up on Raw Dykes, the derelict banks of a Roman aqueduct to the south. Prince Rupert issued a summons to surrender around noon on 30 May. Some three hours later, a messenger was sent out from the town to request a delay of one day before replying to the summons. The defenders hoped to gain time in order to complete the construction of earthworks to strengthen Leicester's Roman and medieval walls but the request breached the terms of the summons, which prompted Rupert to order the bombardment to begin immediately. The Royalist artillery concentrated on the Newark ("new work"), a section of the town wall next to Leicester Castle. By six o'clock a breach had been made. That night, Rupert launched an assault from three directions at once. George Lisle led the main force, which stormed the breach on the south side. Sir Henry Bard and Sir Bernard Astley led two smaller storming parties with scaling ladders against the north and east gates.

Three assaults on the Newark were repulsed with heavy loss but the resistance faltered when Bard and Astley forced their way into the town. The gates were thrown open and the Royalist cavalry charged in. The defenders continued to resist, fighting street by street and making a last stand in the market square before finally throwing down their weapons. Exasperated by the town's resistance even after the walls were breached, Rupert and his officers made no attempt to restrain the Royalist troops from sacking Leicester. Although severe, comparisons made in London newsbooks to the terrible sack of Magdeburg during the Thirty Years War were greatly exaggerated. Up to twenty-five thousand people were massacred at Magdeburg; around three hundred defenders were killed in the storming and sack of Leicester; the Royalists lost around four hundred men. After the capture of Leicester, the Royalist army marched south towards Oxford. The veteran Northern Horse regiments threatened to mutiny on learning that they were ordered south while Covenanters remained active in Yorkshire. A number of them rode off to Newark, but the majority were persuaded to stay with the main army.

The Royalists advanced to Market Harborough and began raiding farms and villages in Northamptonshire in order to gather supplies for a relief convoy to Oxford. Around 7 June, the Royalists took up a strong position on Borough Hill, an Iron Age hill-fort near Daventry, while the convoy was assembled and sent. The Battle of Naseby, Northamptonshire, 14 June 1645 The fall of Leicester galvanised the Committee for Both Kingdoms . Still fearing that the Royalists intended to invade East Anglia, the Committee ordered General Fairfax to abandon the siege of Oxford and to march the New Model Army into the Midlands to engage the King's army. Under pressure from Independents in Parliament, the Committee authorised Fairfax to act on his own initiative rather than having to wait for further orders from Westminster. At the request of Fairfax and his officers, Oliver Cromwell was officially appointed Lieutenant-General of Horse, even though this appointment contravened the Self-denying Ordinance . The New Model Army advanced rapidly northwards. By 11 June, Fairfax had arrived at Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, twenty miles south-east of the Royalist position at Daventry, where he gathered all available Parliamentarian forces.

By 13 June, the Royalists realised that the New Model Army had advanced to Kislingbury near Northampton only five miles from the Borough Hill encampment. Having heard from Lord Goring that he was still engaged around Taunton and could not come to reinforce the main Royalist army, the King and his advisers decided to fall back on Newark. As the Royalist army withdrew from Daventry to Market Harborough, Fairfax pressed forward, determined to fight. The Parliamentarians were greatly encouraged by the timely arrival from East Anglia of Lieutenant-General Cromwell with six hundred horse and dragoons during the evening of 13 June. Later that night, Colonel Ireton led a daring raid on the quarters of the King's Lifeguard in Naseby village, surprising them while they were at supper and taking a number of prisoners. Realising that the Royalist army could not get away, the King's council of war decided to turn and fight. Deployment During the early hours and morning of 14 June 1645, the two armies manoeuvred for position near the village of Naseby, finally drawing up on opposing grassy ridges with the shallow dip of Broad Moor between them.

The Royalists occupied Dust Hill to the north of the Parliamentarians. The strengths of the armies are not known for certain: estimates for the Royalist army vary from 7,500 to 10,000 men, but it was clearly outnumbered by the New Model, which fielded up to 13,500 troops. The Royalist army was under the nominal command of King Charles , who was present at the battle, with Prince Rupert as field commander. The Royalist foot, under the command of Lord Astley , was deployed in three lines supported by squadrons of horse. The third or reserve line included the King's Lifeguard and Prince Rupert's regiment of foot, the Bluecoats. Rupert himself took direct command of the right wing of horse with his brother Prince Maurice . The Royalist left wing was made up mostly of the Northern Horse under the command of Sir Marmaduke Langdale . Both wings of Royalist cavalry were supported by detachments of musketeers. The Parliamentarians were under the overall command of General Fairfax , with the infantry commanded by Sergeant-Major-General Philip Skippon and the cavalry under Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell .

Skippon's infantry were deployed with five regiments in the front line and three battalions in the second or reserve line. The infantry formed up just behind the crest of the ridge, with a forlorn hope of 300 musketeers deployed forward of the main body. The constraints of the terrain forced Skippon to bunch his men more closely together than was customary. The two lines of cavalry on the left wing were commanded by Henry Ireton , promoted to Commissary-General at Cromwell's request on the morning of the battle. Lieutenant-General Cromwell commanded the three lines of cavalry on the Parliamentarian right wing. Cromwell's cavalry were constricted by a rabbit warren and thick furze bushes on the extreme right of the Parliamentarian position. Battle of Naseby | English history | Britannica.com Battle of Naseby Battle of Towton Battle of Naseby, (June 14, 1645), battle fought about 20 miles (32 km) south of Leicester , Eng., between the Parliamentary New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax and the royalists under Prince Rupert of the Palatinate; it largely decided the first phase of the English Civil Wars .

The New Model Army had been following in pursuit of the royalists, who had left Oxford and stormed Leicester on May 30. The two armies met about a mile north of Naseby and deployed along parallel ridges between which lay a valley known as Broad Moor. The royalists, though outnumbered 14,000 to nearly 10,000, attacked all along the line. Rupert was successful in driving back the left wing of Parliamentary cavalry under General Henry Ireton but made the mistake of engaging in wild pursuit, thus leaving the beleaguered royalist infantry in the centre unsupported. The more disciplined Parliamentary cavalry on the right under Cromwell was then able to regroup and deliver a decisive assault on the centre. As a result the royalist army was completely routed, with the Parliamentarians taking about 4,000 prisoners and the royalists’ artillery . With the loss of his best infantry regiments at Naseby, King Charles I could no longer meet the New Model Army in open battle and had effectively lost the war. Battle of Naseby, by an unknown artist.

The victory of the … Photos.com/Jupiterimages Strategic plan for the Battle of Naseby, June 14, 1645; from Anglia Rediviva (1647). © The British Library/Heritage-Images

Question: Which General and commander-in-chief led the 'New Model Army' at the Battle of Naseby in 1645?
Answer: THOMAS FAIRFAX